Former FSU Football Star Jumps 22 Spots in Latest NFL Top 100

Florida State has sent some elite talents to the NFL over the past decade, with one of those players being Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns.

As a new season approaches, the NFL's Top 100 player rankings are being released, a list voted on by players throughout the league. The former Seminoles star took the No. 54 spot which is 22 places above where he was ranked in a year ago. Burns edged out players like Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Tony Pollard while landing just behind Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans.

Heading into his fifth season, Burns is having an incredible career. He's racked up 38 career sacks with 12.5 coming from last season alone. Burns finished 2022 with 63 total tackles and 17 tackles for loss. This uptick in production earned Burns some respect among his colleagues, as seen by the significant jump in the rankings.

The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end spent three seasons with Florida State from 2016-2018. Having played two seasons under Jimbo Fisher and one with Willie Taggart, Burns won two bowl games with the Seminoles, not qualifying for a bowl game in his final year.

Burns tallied 23 sacks in his three-year collegiate career while adding 38.5 tackles for loss and 123 total tackles. This ultimately earned Burns a first-round draft pick to the Panthers in the 2019 NFL Draft, where he currently still plays.

While no deal is in place to keep the star defender, Burns remains a prospect to receive a huge payday after the 2023 season. Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer recently said that there's no timeline for the deal to be completed, but that the talks are "positive" with Burns' agent.

Burns will head into free agency if no deal is made, however, with the stats to back him up and his impact at the NFL level, a potential contract is more than deserved, and being selected at No. 54 on the NFL Top 100 list proves that.

If Burns is able to find an extension with the Panthers, he could very well become one of the top-paid defensive ends in the NFL.

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